


Stuck on the Puzzle

by indimkr



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Minor Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, POV Otabek Altin, Promiscuity, Some Jean-Jacques Leroy/Yuri Plisetsky, Underage Drinking, he has big eyes okay, high school parties, not quite love at first sight, this might be a little tropey, yes he can see his eye color from across the room
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 02:58:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18682753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indimkr/pseuds/indimkr
Summary: A flash of blonde hair. Fingers twisted up in golden locks. A hand grasping at the bottom of a lean thigh. Bodies rocking together in time with the music. Green eyes.It wasn’t even vulgar. It was sexy. And it was a show. As much for the boy Yuri was dancing with as it was for everyone watching.Which Otabek definitely was.





	Stuck on the Puzzle

_“I’m not the kind of fool who’s gonna sit and sing to you_

_About stars girl,_

_But last night I looked up into the dark half blue_

_And they’d gone backwards”_

 

 

Otabek hated high school parties. He’d only been to one or two in his entire adolescence, but every time he got dragged to such an event he found himself alone, surrounded by drunk strangers, in a house he’d never been to before. Otabek didn’t mind being alone, but as he sat on a stained, green couch in yet another stranger’s partially trashed house with a half-full cup of warm beer in his hand, Otabek thought he would much rather be alone at home.

He’d come with a group of amiable, if not overbearing sophomores who had decided, completely independent of him, to adopt Otabek as their new friend. Within days of arriving at his new school he was bombarded in between classes, at lunch, and after school with excited chatter, bright smiles, and never-ending selfie requests. By Thursday, his new friends had declared that they would take him out that weekend to “get to know the party scene” at his new school. He supposed shouldn’t have been surprised then when, an hour previous, the three of them rolled up to his mother’s house in a 13-year-old white sedan with more rust around the edges than paint, drove him 15 minutes across town accompanied by conversation so constant he never had a chance to ask where specifically he was going, then, upon reaching their destination, quickly abandoned him to the crowd of strangers, eager in their search for music, dancing, and alcohol.

His mother’s voice in his head told him he should be grateful to be making friends so quickly. He took a reluctant sip of his drink and tried not to feel bitter.

“Hey, Otabek!” a cheery voice called to him over the familiar, yet indistinguishable pounding of remixed pop music. He saw Phichit making his way over toward him holding an identical plastic cup to the one in Otabek’s hand, and, from the slight stumble as he plopped onto the couch, and the smell of alcohol on his breath, Otabek could tell he’d refilled it a few times already.

“We lost you for a bit there, buddy!”

Phichit was still yelling, even though they were sitting side by side.

“You haven’t just been sitting here this whole time, have you?”

Otabek shrugged. Truthfully, he hadn’t been. When they first arrived, he had wandered around aimlessly for a while. He found the keg in the kitchen, saw people smoking out on the deck, realized, unsurprisingly, that he recognized no one, and had found himself feeling very lost. It was then that he retreated quickly to the living room couch where he could hide below eye level acknowledged only by every third person or so who bumped into his knees as they walked by.

“I don’t know anyone at this party,” he said plainly, hoping that would be enough explanation. Phichit looked exasperated.

“Sure, you do! You’re in class with tons of people here, everybody’s from school. Besides, you know me, and Ji, and Leo,” Phichit reasoned.

Otabek frowned. He didn’t consider being in class with people he’d never spoken to “knowing them”, but it probably wasn’t worth arguing.

“Come on,” Phichit tugged at his arm, “come dance with Guang-Hong and me. Leo said he’s gonna try and hijack the music. It’ll be fun!” Phichit was insistent, and Otabek figured his moment of desperate solitude was over whether he wanted it to be or not.

“Alright,” he reluctantly agreed. Phichit beamed, pulling him off the couch with more strength than Otabek had given him credit for, and dragged him to another part of the house where the music was louder, and people were attempting to dance and drink cheap beer at the same time.

“Guang-Hong! Leo! I found Otabek!”

“Hey, Otabek!”

“Where’ve you been?”

He let himself get pulled into the small group, and a new drink was shoved into his hand. He set down the old one on a side table.

“Okay, operation ‘Decent Music’ is about to begin,” Leo told them, excitement in his eyes. “Once this song ends, I’m switching them out.” He pulled an iPod out of his back pocket.

“Finally,” Guang-Hong said, matching Leo’s enthusiasm. “This music is driving me crazy.”

“Otabek, drink!” Phichit urged him, gesturing with his own cup. Otabek glanced down at the cup in his hand. He had assumed the new drink would be another, fresher, lukewarm beer. He was surprised to see the liquid in his cup was blue. So, not beer, then.

He took a sip.

Definitely not beer.

“Holy shit, what is that?” Otabek managed to cough out, fighting the burn as it went down, and choking on the sugary aftertaste that stuck to his tongue and lingered in his throat after it was gone.

Phichit was practically keeling over with laughter at his reaction.

“Sorry,” he turned to see Guang-Hong holding up a water bottle of the offending blue liquid, “I like my drinks pretty strong.”

Otabek huffed in agreement, a little shocked something so harsh had come out of someone so soft. Then again, the drink was bright blue.

Phichit was still chuckling as Leo prepared to make his move.

“Get ready guys. The first song is a good one.”

Leo sidled over to the sound system, trying, very obviously, to look as inconspicuous as possible. As the grating electronic pop song faded out, he quickly unplugged the laptop sitting on the stereo, plugged in his iPod, and pressed play.

As it turned out, Leo’s playlist was pretty good. Otabek wasn’t familiar with any of the newer songs, but somehow, Leo had managed to curate a collection catchy pop songs, hip hop, R&B, and Latin music that was much more enjoyable than the repetitive noise that had been playing before. Guang-Hong and Phichit were having the time of their lives, dancing, laughing, and singing along, and, against his natural inclinations, Otabek actually found himself having a decent time as well. The music was fun, and Guang-Hong’s drink wasn’t too bad when you were ready for it. He found an empty cup in his hand much sooner than he had expected.

Around the fourth or fifth song, Leo returned to see how there were liking “his set”.

“It’s awesome, Leo!”

“So cool!”

“Great, I’m glad you like it!” Leo laughed, pouring himself a new drink from the quickly diminishing supply in Guang-Hong’s water bottle. “I’ve got about fifteen or so songs set to play so I can hang out for a bit, and I think I can keep an eye on it from here, so no one tries to cut in on me.”

“What, like you did to them?”

Otabek was surprised to hear the words come out of his mouth before he’d even had the chance to think them. Phichit, Leo, and Guang-Hong all turned to face him, stunned into momentary silence. Otabek felt his face growing hot.

“Oh shit, Leo,” Phichit said, breaking the tension, “Otabek just called you out.”

Then all three of them were laughing again. Phichit playfully punched him on the shoulder and said, “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“Neither did I,” he mumbled to himself. Such a brazen outburst was disturbingly unlike him. The blue drink, he decided, must have been much stronger than he’d originally thought.

The conversation eventually turned to other topics, and Otabek, recovering from his momentary embarrassment, allowed his attention wander around the room. Some people were starting to look vaguely familiar, but he wasn’t sure if it was because he’d seen them in class or if they looked like people he’d seen before in other schools in other towns.

Otabek’s family had moved 6 times in the last 5 years, never staying anywhere long enough to settle. He had gotten used to showing up in the middle of the year, hardly learning names, never making any lasting friendships, or connections. His father’s career in the military had been the impetus for almost every move. He, his mother, and his younger sister had followed him everywhere, from base to base, through reassignments, and promotions. Faces all began to blur together after a while.

_This time it’s different, Zhanym. We’re settling down. With or without him…_

Maybe. Otabek couldn’t bring himself to believe that yet.

He was gazing out of focus at a group talking across the room when he heard excited voices coming from the front of the house. He could make out enthusiastic greetings, muffled by the walls and bodies as the sound carried through the house, over the crowds, and above Leo’s blasting music. As the commotion grew closer, Phichit craned his neck to see which new arrivals might be causing such a stir. Otabek turned his head as well, curious despite himself.

When the source of it all rounded the corner, Phichit audibly gasped.

“Oh shit, Victor’s here.”

He had to have been talking about the tall, silver haired senior at the front of the group of extremely attractive people who had just walked into the room. Otabek actually had seen this face before in the halls at school. He had a strange way of pulling heads toward him, and people always seemed to be going out of their way to talk to him. He hadn’t caught a name before, but it could only be him everyone was worked up about.

“Hey, Victor!” Phichit waved across the room. Victor turned, flashed a big smile and waved back.

“I’m gonna go see if Yuuri came with him.” Phichit said, and he took off across the room toward the newcomers.

“Yuuri?” Otabek asked.

“Yeah, Phichit’s other best friend.” Leo replied.

“We’re not good enough for him!” Guang-Hong feigned distraught, but broke out of it quickly, laughing.

“He and Victor are basically connected at the hip these days,” Leo continued.

“Yeah, it’s kind of a big deal, I’m surprised you haven’t heard about it.”

Otabek shrugged. He wasn’t in the habit of listening to his classmates’ gossip, so he wasn’t surprised to be in the dark about these sorts of things. He watched Phichit happily chatting away out of earshot, and let his eyes scan the group Victor had come in with.

There was a very pretty redheaded girl in a short black dress laughing at some unheard joke, flinging her head back, and letting her curls bounce freely behind her. Next to her, a thoughtful looking male with short black hair gelled up in the front was searching the room, as if he were looking for someone. He, consequently, was paying little attention to the redhead girl as she collapsed onto his shoulder in laughter.

The third person with them was faced away from him. All he could see was long, blonde hair falling past their shoulders to a loose, maroon, sleeveless tank that stopped just above high waisted black leggings leaving a sliver of pale skin visible between the hem and the waistband. They had their hands on their hips, and, even though Otabek couldn’t see their face, he could tell they looked annoyed. It seemed they were the source of the redhead girl’s amusement, but it was clear the feeling wasn’t mutual.

He was about to look away when suddenly, with an angry swish of blonde hair, Otabek caught sight of green eyes, a sharp jaw, and the most intense scowl he’d ever seen.

Otabek thought he must be drunk because that murderous glare was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life.

“Who is that?”

Otabek was definitely drunk.

“Who?” Guang-Hong looked to see where Otabek was staring. “Oh, him? That’s Yuri Plisetsky.”

“Phichit’s friend?”

“No, different Yuri.” Leo replied.

“Yeah, this Yuri is totally not friendly.”

“Actually, pretty mean.”

“Way mean.”

“He made Guang-Hong cry once.”

“Did not!”

“He totally did, you were weeping…”

Otabek let them argue without him. His gaze hadn’t left the blonde boy’s eyes. There was something about them. Something hard…

Then he realized they were glaring at him.

He felt his heart jump into his throat.

“Oh shit, he’s staring right at you.”

Otabek heard Guang-Hong from what seemed like a mile away. He didn’t dare turn his head, for fear of breaking eye contact, and tried to hold his expression completely neutral even though he felt like any minute he could burst into flames. Otabek realized suddenly that he was holding his breath.

It seemed like time was passing, but the whole world was stood completely still. All the noise of the party faded as if he’d been submerged in water, and all he could hear was the flowing of blood in his ears like static.

Slowly, the hard, green eyes narrowed, and the boy’s upper lip pulled into a sneer. Then, as suddenly as it began it was over, and the boy turned away as if he could no longer be bothered to entertain something so trivial.

Otabek felt himself slowly exhale, free from the pressure of the boy’s hard pressing stare. He tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry and all he could taste was the syrupy dregs of the mixed drink that clung to the roof of his mouth, suddenly making him feel very dizzy, and a little sick. He wished he had a glass of water.

“Wow, that was so intense.” Guang-Hong breathed from somewhere behind him.

“Hey, what’d I miss?” Phichit asked cheerfully, returning from his chat with Victor.

“Otabek just stared down Yuri Plisetsky,” said Guang Hong, still amazed, “and I think he won.”

“Woah, really?” Phichit gaped. “Dude you’re totally insane!”

“I know, right!”

“Is Yuuri here?” Leo interjected.

“No, I guess he didn’t come out tonight, I’ll text him later.”

“I need a drink of water,” Otabek heard himself croak out, not waiting for a response as he slowly wandered off toward the kitchen.

He managed to find a mostly empty cup someone had abandoned which he rinsed out, filled with water, and downed all at once. He filled it up again, took a few more sips, and went to head back toward Phichit and the others.

He passed some sort of drinking game with playing cards in the living room where a handful of people were piled onto the couch he had been hiding on earlier.

When he turned back into the room, Leo had gone back to the sound system, and was intently picking new songs to wow them with, and Phichit and Guang-Hong were pouring the last of the blue drink into their cups.

“Hey, Otabek, you want any more of this?” Guang-Hong asked. “Last chance!”

“No, thanks,” he replied, gripping the water in his hand a little tighter.

“More for me!” Guang-Hong sang gleefully, upending the bottle, and tossing it into a corner when it was empty.

“We’re going to dance, are you coming?” Phichit slurred, taking another large gulp of his drink.

“No, I’ll stay here,” Otabek replied.

“Okay. Come on, Ji. Let’s go!”

Otabek found a comfortable spot to lean against the wall and nurse his water and turn over the bizarre experience he’d just had in his head. The world was starting to feel more focused again, he didn’t feel like he was swimming through air as thick as oil anymore. Though, he didn’t know if that was from the alcohol, or his staring contest moments earlier. He looked out to the dance floor and saw Guang Hong and Phichit bouncing around, having the time of their lives. He smiled to himself and took another sip of water. He wondered if their enthusiasm was actually growing on him.

The songs changed a few times from upbeat pop funk, to contemporary R&B, and Otabek relaxed into enjoying the music as he let his eyes wander again. There were a few people dancing who were maybe even more drunk than Phichit and Guang-Hong. There were people swaying, and laughing with their friends, people jumping up and down and singing loudly, and a few people grinding drunkenly against one another, some hardly dancing at all.

Then his eyes caught a flash of blonde hair, and fingers twisted up in the golden locks at the back of his head. A hand grasping at the bottom of a lean thigh pulling it up over his hip, bodies rocking together in time with the music, and green eyes.

Otabek could hear his heart beating in his ears.

He watched in rapt fascination, unable to pull his eyes away as the blond boy from earlier, Yuri Plisetsky, he recalled, locked eyes with the tall, black haired boy he was wrapped around and pushed their hips together in smooth fluid motions.

It wasn’t even vulgar, Otabek thought, entranced. Yuri’s arms were wrapped around the boy’s neck, hands brushing against the short hair at the back of his head. The black-haired boy was taller and had to duck down to bury his face in Yuri’s neck. Otabek couldn’t see what he was doing, but whatever it was Yuri seemed to like it, throwing his head back, closing his eyes, and gripping tighter at the back of the boy’s neck. The whole time the two of them continued grinding together, Yuri rolling his body gracefully into the other boy, flowing with the music.

No, it wasn’t vulgar. It was sexy. And it was a show. As much for the boy Yuri was dancing with as it was for everyone watching. Which Otabek definitely was. Staring more like. He quickly ducked his head and took another sip of his water. His mouth had gone dry again.

He glanced back up from his cup and was met again with hard green eyes staring straight at him. Otabek felt like he’d been caught doing something shameful.

Yuri’s gaze was trained on him again, only this time he wasn’t glaring, or sneering. He just held his eyes.

What was he supposed to do in this situation, Otabek wondered. Should he look away? It didn’t seem like that’s what Yuri wanted. Those green eyes were saying, “Watch me. Do you like what you see?”

He did.

But he could feel his face growing hot again.

In a split-second decision, he cast his gaze down.

When he looked back up, Yuri was whispering in the taller boy’s ear. Otabek tried not to watch as Yuri took the boy’s hand in his and lead him off the makeshift dancefloor, and into another room, out of sight.

Otabek could only imagine what that meant.

But that wasn’t any of his business.

He quickly downed the rest of his water and pulled out his phone to look at the time. It was almost 1 am. He wondered how much longer his entourage would want to stay.

Otabek tried to busy his mind with passing the time, glued to his spot on the wall, watching Phichit and Guang-Hong dance, Leo and Phichit and Guang-Hong dance, and throngs of his classmates fawn over Victor and his crew.

He tried to put thoughts of Yuri with that boy out of his mind, but the more irrational it seemed that these thoughts should present themselves at all, the more they crept in from his subconscious to pester him. Why did he care? He didn’t, surely.

And yet…

Hard, green eyes kept floating to the front of his mind. What was it about them? Where were they now?

When it finally began nearing 2, and the crowd had thinned out a bit, Phichit, Guang-Hong, and Leo returned to their corner, exhausted and flushed, deciding they’d had enough of dancing for the night. Otabek was relieved. After short discussion, everyone agreed they were ready to head home.

“Okay. So… who’s driving?”

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment if you liked it. More to come soon...


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